Tuesday, March 03, 2015, 2:28 p.m.

Obama carbon rule gives states more time to comply

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration rolled out a plan Monday to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by 30 percent by 2030, setting in motion one of the most significant actions on global warming in U.S. history.

But exactly how state will meet customized targets likely will be pushed to the next administration. States could have until 2017 to submit a plan to cut power plant pollution, and 2018 if they join with other states to tackle the problem, according to the EPA's proposal. An executive order issued last summer had set a June 2016 deadline for state plans.

The 645-page rule, expected to be final next year, is a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's plans to reduce the pollution linked to global warming, a step that the administration hopes will get other countries to act when negotiations on a new international treaty resume next year.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy was expected to stress in remarks delivered at EPA headquarters later Monday that the rule would "ambitious, but achievable."